Babies are here!

[Livvy]

my brownie just had her babies. 5, one doa and 4 cute little wiggle worms. She cleaned up everything except some blood (half dollar sized stain on the outside).
Should I clean that part up? Or will she eventually do it? I was not prepared for babies as I had zero plans to breed but both escaped on me one night and have been researching best I can.
She didn't pull fur but they are inside so they should be warm enough right?

 

[majorv]

I would pull some from her belly for a light cover. Until they get hair they are very susceptible to drafts and chills.

 

[Livvy]

I'll try pulling some if shell let me. She super protective right now cuz she just had them an hour or 2 ago.

 

[zuppa]

Fur also softens their nest otherwise hay can damage their thin skin so if you decided to keep them it would be wise to line nest with fur or what you have at hand so they can stay safe. If you decided to kill them it doesn't really matter

 

[Livvy]

Fur also softens their nest otherwise hay can damage their thin skin so if you decided to keep them it would be wise to line nest with fur or what you have at hand so they can stay safe. If you decided to kill them it doesn't really matter

There's no way I could kill them. Thats extreme, although I didn't plan to have them.
Could I use sheep wool? I have some rovings from when I spun yarn. Is superwash so no sheep smell....

 

[Livvy]

There's no way I could kill them. Thats extreme, although I didn't plan to have them.
Could I use sheep wool? I have some rovings from when I spun yarn. Is superwash so no sheep smell....

Can I move them tonight to line it? I know there's mixed feelings on when you can touch them.

 

[zuppa]

If you can get some fur from her belly or if don't want to disturb her maybe you can brush your other rabbit and get some off him. You don't even need to move them, you can just cover them with fur and they will spread it all around them. That's why rabbit's fur is best, I won't know about sheep wool, also if it was washed maybe it has detergent or something, I never used lint too, if you have two rabbits you can get some fur surely.

 

[Happy Hollands]

Congratulations! You are now a bunny grandma! As long as mama bun is alright with it, you can touch the babies as soon as they are born. Make sure she didn't over clean them (nibbled tails, feet, etc.) and remove the DOA. It may take up to 72 hours for her milk to come in, but once it does keep a close eye on the newborns and make sure all of their bellies are full! It is definitely a great idea for you to pull some of her fur from her belly / chest area as this is a necessity to keep them warm. If you happen to have a heat lamp, I reccomend using it to keep them from chilling until their fur grows in. Best of luck!!


Here's two great links to help you get started!

Breeding Rabbits | The Nature Trail/

Breeding Holland Lops

Note: If necessary, distract her with her favorite treat while you pull fur and check on the babies.

 

[Livvy]

If you can get some fur from her belly or if don't want to disturb her maybe you can brush your other rabbit and get some off him. You don't even need to move them, you can just cover them with fur and they will spread it all around them. That's why rabbit's fur is best, I won't know about sheep wool, also if it was washed maybe it has detergent or something, I never used lint too, if you have two rabbits you can get some fur surely.

She won't freak out having a male scent on them? Ill have to try that. And see what I can get.
The wool wasn't washed its just the name cuz it can be thrown in the washer without shrinking.

 

[zuppa]

If she is super protective it would be best if you remove her from the room when you rearrange the nest so she can't see. Some mothers are very protective and getting stressed when see someone touching nest or babies so be respectful. Just offer her some food somewhere else and while she's eating you can quickly check the babies and add some fur etc

 

[Livvy]

If she is super protective it would be best if you remove her from the room when you rearrange the nest so she can't see. Some mothers are very protective and getting stressed when see someone touching nest or babies so be respectful. Just offer her some food somewhere else and while she's eating you can quickly check the babies and add some fur etc

Thank you so much for the advice. I was planning to let her roam later so I'll do it then.
Even though I didn't plan for babies or want to breed ( not with this female and not until we have a bigger space) i still want to do whats best for them.

 

[zuppa]

I wouldn't recommend heat lamp overheat is no good as well. If you just get some fur or lint or just cotton wool to spread on hay that would be enough. If it was winter and very cold and they were outdoor and just one baby you could use warm bottle but just on one side of the nest so they can choose their comfort temperature. There's no need for extra heating really. There are 4 kits and they will be moving and warming each other.

 

[zuppa]

I use pin brush with protected pins and brush backwards from tale to head, that way you get most fur on it. If you don't have this kind of brush you can use just baby comb but again if you brush backwards you'll get more fur on it, and mostly from bum/hind legs. Get her on your lap and pet her so she relax, massage from head to tail and then take a brush or comb and start massaging with it, then change direction.

It will be from their undercoat, very soft, rabbit's fur is very light and warm.

If she lets you you could pluck some fur from her belly around her nipples so babies could access them easier. You don't even have to put any pressure, it will come off easily. She's just first time and she will maybe pull some later.

 

[Livvy]

Thank you! I was able to get some fur for them between her and chilly (the male).
Got them bundled real quick and mom had no issues when she went back in.
She did scratch one a bit. She was scratching at the nest and laying on them a few times. Maybe to cover them and keep them warm? Not sure. She hasn't done it since I but fur in.
I snapped a quick pic of the scratched one, the dark marks are the scratches. I tried to be quick so its not a great pic. Omg they are so cute and so big considering how small mom is.

 

[zuppa]

Can't tell about scratches, a bit unusual. Keep an eye on them, if you see any sign of redness or inflammation maybe rinse it with strong tea or sage to disinfect, not sure if salt water can be used on 1 day old baby, maybe other members had experience with that.

Probably she's just it's her first time and she's not entirely sure what to do. I would cover her cage over the nest with something like blanket so she can have some privacy and ideally would leave her alone, since rabbits don't like when someone is watching they will only nurse when no one in there. She should nurse them once or twice a day, usually night or early morning, for 3 minutes. So if you didn't see if she nursed but you check on them every morning and see if their bellies are nice and round, means she did. First time it can take up to 48 hours and they will survive that, because maybe she still has no milk or something. You can offer her some rolled oats and generally she should get unlimited food now, also what pellets you feed her? If it's regular adult pellets she might need to be transferred gradually to high protein 16% pellets (for juniors and lactating), and make sure she has fresh water she will drink more since she needs to produce milk. Be generous with food, greens, herbs also good, avoid mint while she's nursing, it's no good for milk, but fennel is good for milk production.

If tomorrow babies are wrinkled not fed maybe you will need to teach her and hold her over the nest gently so babies can nurse. Also if she never pulled fur from her belly it might be difficult to get to the nipples, well you check in the morning if they are fed she figured it out, if not maybe you want to help her. But as I said, they will survive up to 48 hours before first feeding.

 

[Livvy]

Can't tell about scratches, a bit unusual. Keep an eye on them, if you see any sign of redness or inflammation maybe rinse it with strong tea or sage to disinfect, not sure if salt water can be used on 1 day old baby, maybe other members had experience with that.

Probably she's just it's her first time and she's not entirely sure what to do. I would cover her cage over the nest with something like blanket so she can have some privacy and ideally would leave her alone, since rabbits don't like when someone is watching they will only nurse when no one in there. She should nurse them once or twice a day, usually night or early morning, for 3 minutes. So if you didn't see if she nursed but you check on them every morning and see if their bellies are nice and round, means she did. First time it can take up to 48 hours and they will survive that, because maybe she still has no milk or something. You can offer her some rolled oats and generally she should get unlimited food now, also what pellets you feed her? If it's regular adult pellets she might need to be transferred gradually to high protein 16% pellets (for juniors and lactating), and make sure she has fresh water she will drink more since she needs to produce milk. Be generous with food, greens, herbs also good, avoid mint while she's nursing, it's no good for milk, but fennel is good for milk production.

If tomorrow babies are wrinkled not fed maybe you will need to teach her and hold her over the nest gently so babies can nurse. Also if she never pulled fur from her belly it might be difficult to get to the nipples, well you check in the morning if they are fed she figured it out, if not maybe you want to help her. But as I said, they will survive up to 48 hours before first feeding.

After putting the fur on she hasn't scratched at the nest. Her nest wasn't the greatest honestly, she tried so hard and was trying to pull fur up till she had them but it just didn't work. So I reinforced it a bit and added the fur for her. Shes gone in but didn't disturb it.
I did cover the cage where the nest is. I covered it pretty babies and will keep it covered.
She is on normal adult pellets. Ill have to check the bag. Shes been on alfalfa should she stay on that while nursing?
I'll check them in the morning. Fingers crossed she gets the feeding.
Thank you so much for all your help. You've been so helpful!

 

[zuppa]

Alfalfa is fine while she's nursing, but also keep feeding regular hay, if you switch pellets junior pellets are usually alfalfa- based so that would be enough. Rolled oats are great for milk you can give her 1tbs she will love it.
Hopefully she will start feeding soon, it is best not to disturb too much and let her do, usually rabbits know everything by instincts, even first time mothers but sometimes can get lost a bit at the beginning, but hopefully she'll get it sooner or later. Good luck!

 

[zuppa]

Usually they don't lay on the babies, they avoid them only coming to the nest once or twice a day to nurse. That is because rabbits are prey animals and mother doesn't want to attract predators to the nest. So that's why they only nurse when no one is watching. But in your case, firstly maybe she is kinda easy going bun and you have good relationship she trusts you you're not predator maybe. Or it's because it's her first time and she's not sure what to do, she's still young you said 6 months or so? When she lay on babies it's only when nursing, it takes 2-3 minutes and babies will be moving from nipple to nipple when she's over them so maybe she just nursed when you saw she was laying on them.

 

[Happy Hollands]

Thank you! I was able to get some fur for them between her and chilly (the male).
Got them bundled real quick and mom had no issues when she went back in.
She did scratch one a bit. She was scratching at the nest and laying on them a few times. Maybe to cover them and keep them warm? Not sure. She hasn't done it since I but fur in.
I snapped a quick pic of the scratched one, the dark marks are the scratches. I tried to be quick so its not a great pic. Omg they are so cute and so big considering how small mom is.

Make sure her nails are short and trim to avoid future scratches.
Keep a close eye on the baby's scratch, and make sure it doesn't get infected. Should heal by itself fine, though!

I know you had mentioned earlier / before the babies were born that you were worried about maloccusion, could you please attach pictures of the babies teeth? By gently pulling on either side of mouth, you can easily check them. It is most likely too young to tell yet, but it's worth a try

 

[Livvy]

Make sure her nails are short and trim to avoid future scratches.
Keep a close eye on the baby's scratch, and make sure it doesn't get infected. Should heal by itself fine, though!

I know you had mentioned earlier / before the babies were born that you were worried about maloccusion, could you please attach pictures of the babies teeth? By gently pulling on either side of mouth, you can easily check them. It is most likely too young to tell yet, but it's worth a try

Yes I was able to look last night and didn't notice any issues with their teeth.
I just checked them to make sure they are warm and fed. They are warm and their bellies look fed but they are still wrinkly. One seems a bit smaller and not as fed.
When I check them later I'll snap some pictures.
The way she built her nest its shoved to the way back, could that cause them to not feed properly as well? I have litter pans I used when they free roamed trying to potty train, would that be easier for her to feed them?
Attached is what she uses now.
I added some cotton to the bottom since they got scratched so the hay didn't make it worse.